Emmanuel dos Santos
Africa-Press – Angola. Following the “III EDITION OF THE 100 MAKAS ECONOMY CONVERSATIONS” event, organized by Angolan economist Carlos Rosado de Carvalho, an important announcement was made by Adalberto Costa Júnior regarding his own election campaign. This occurred at a time when the media is discussing General Higino Carneiro’s election campaign for leader of the MPLA (Brazilian Popular Movement Party), thus obscuring some possibilities for the still uncertain 2027 elections.
Rumors of US support for the UNITA party were confirmed at the “III EDITION OF THE 100 MAKAS ECONOMY TALKS” forum. Alberto Costa Junior repeatedly mentioned the need for trade cooperation with the US.
Adalberto Costa Júnior’s pre-campaign could receive a boost at a time when candidates aligned with Donald Trump have won several elections in countries like Romania and Poland. Although Adalberto Costa Júnior cannot be described as a “trampista” (trampist), his political thinking is oriented toward neoliberal thinking, as was evident in the III Edition of the 100 Makas Economic Conversations, in which the UNITA leader advocated for less government and more private initiative. Previously, Republican Party leaders came to Angola to meet with UNITA leaders, not MPLA leaders, suggesting that UNITA could better manage the Lobito Corridor project, which is currently plagued by corruption cases involving companies close to the MPLA.
Aesthetically speaking, the photo of Adalberto Costa Júnior with his party colleagues shows a campaign poster that suspiciously resembles D. Trump’s campaign poster. Americans may have drawn some conclusions about the regime’s corruption after attending the US-Africa 2025 summit in Luanda. Added to all this are divisions within the MPLA and power struggles. The MPLA has been frequently denounced in the international press as a corrupt party that favors companies owned by businesspeople close to power, including companies internationally implicated in corruption scandals, such as Trafigura, a member of the LAR consortium responsible for the Lobito Corridor.
It’s possible that the United States will now focus on UNITA, taking advantage of João Lourenço’s low popularity and internal divisions in the MPLA’s power struggle. It should be noted that the US has worked with UNITA since the Cold War. In 2027, with US support, UNITA could become the ruling party in Angola for the first time in the country’s history, which could signal a change in Angola’s economic course and even its foreign policy.
A fact that cannot go unnoticed and suggests the current US administration’s departure from the MPLA is Adalberto Costa Júnior’s recent participation in the US Independence Day celebrations on July 4th and João Lourenço’s trip to Brazil for the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro. It’s worth remembering that President Donald Trump recently threatened to impose 10% more tariffs on countries that dare to approach the BRICS bloc. JLo has likely already realized that the Americans have returned to focusing on UNITA and is now trying to secure the support of former allies to remain in power.
While JLo challenges the limits imposed by the Americans, Adalberto Costa Júnior emphasized the “moment of rapprochement with the Americans” at the III MAKAS Economic Talk. If Adalberto Costa Júnior truly follows through on what he advocated in his speech at the economic talks, where his pro-market orientation was clear, Angola could see significant changes. However, it’s important to emphasize that this stance has already been tried unsuccessfully in Latin America.
In the talks organized by economist Carlos Rosado de Carvalho, it became clear that Adalberto Costa Júnior had begun his pre-election campaign. The UNITA leader, who spoke extensively about the need for cooperation with the United States in the business world, has been vocal about the current political climate. The fact is that the current political situation could favor a victory for the Black Rooster in 2027, which, regardless of the direction taken, will be a major change for Angola.
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